President Donald Trump’s administration lifted some tariffs on Canadian imports Friday, two weeks ahead of midterm elections, after a vulnerable Republican candidate said she’d lobbied for the change.
The easing of tariffs will apply to products including “plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment,” the White House said in a statement.
The change could help Senator Susan Collins, who faces a strong challenge from a Democrat in the Canada-U.S. border state of Maine, which has been hit hard by Trump’s trade war.
Collins posted on social media that she had “secured” the exemptions for “products crucial to Maine’s agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers.”
Democrats are targeting Collins’s seat in their attempt to win control of Congress from the Republicans in the Nov. 3 midterms.
Canada-U.S. trade
The economies of the United States and Canada are heavily inter-connected, with roughly 70 per cent of all Canadian exports heading to the United States.
Trade talks between the countries broke down in August, with Trump imposing a slew of new tariffs in response.
Friday’s action lifts tariffs on certain goods, but imposes levies on new ones, including carpets, certain valves and waste products, the White House said. The new measures will take effect on Oct. 30.
“The Canadian government takes note of these recent tariff measures adopted by the United States,” Dominic LeBlanc, Ottawa’s minister in charge of Canada-U.S. trade, said in a statement to AFP.
“While evaluating these recent measures, Canada remains ready to work together in a constructive and good-faith manner” with the United States, he added.
Collins said many farmers in her state “rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense.”
Previous Trump levies on autos, steel, aluminum and lumber have hit Canada hard, forcing job losses and stunting growth.
Trump’s tariffs enforced after the talks broke down impacted around US$20 billion worth of goods, or 5.5 per cent of Canadian exports to the United States, targeting products ranging from hockey sticks to cement.
